


Sleepless

by Wolfcryptic



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-18
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2019-10-12 04:10:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 19,509
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17460386
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wolfcryptic/pseuds/Wolfcryptic
Summary: Adora is stuck in the past. She can't let go of the relationship she had with Catra and it begins to impact her role in the Rebellion. The Horde is better equipped than it had ever been and with Adora so distracted, She-ra becomes progressively unreliable. Etheria may finally fall completely under Hordak's control.





	1. Chapter 1

_Don’t fade from the swamp_

There was a stir beyond the walls today. Boots were hitting the metal floor in rapid thuds, while voices barked orders with a sharp edge of urgency. Adora pressed her ear more firmly against the door, trying to decipher the words muffled by the steel biting into her cheek. From what she could make out, an outpost had been ambushed. Two casualties. The voices were becoming harder to distinguish and Adora cupped her hands around her ear. A squad was being deployed for support. First time active duty. The voices drowned out completely when more noisy boots stomped by. Adora groaned in disappointment and sagged against the door, wishing she could be on the other side.

Adora had nothing left to keep her busy. She’d smashed her princess dummy to bits, finished learning her multisyllabic words, practiced her battle stances, and brushed her teeth. There were no more necessary preparations but she couldn’t bring herself to sit still. Today was _the_ day, after all. She’d been fitted for her uniform, which she put on the moment she woke up, marvelling in the brilliant red insignia staining the stretch of white across her back. She’d polished her boots until she was blinded by them and she’d pulled her hair back in a tight ponytail; she was completely prepared for the cadet trials.

The assessors for the trial were harsh and she’d studied and trained as much as she could to ready herself. She kept her holographic datapad on her at all times, asking it any and every question that crossed her mind. Eager and impatient, Adora pulled the pad out of her pocket and activated it.

“Tell me about the cadet trials,” she said, for what was probably the twentieth time.

“Cadet trials determine squad placement. Defeats and damage taken affect a cadet’s overall rank in the assessment. Squads of five are formed after scores are produced,” the pad replied, voice distorted by static. Younger cadets didn’t get the best tech, but Adora loved the boundless information it carried regardless.

She tapped some of the windows available on her screen, each one displaying images of the machines that may be in the assessment. When she first saw them, Adora had been nervous. She’d never actually fought anything before, other than the dummies in her room and, on occasion, her own pillow. A robot could not only move, but retaliate, and she wasn’t sure how much they could hurt her. The information on the datapad suggested they were dangerous and would push all cadets to their limits. The only comforting aspect was the highlighted weak points in the images. Adora had obsessively memorised every machine’s vulnerability, hoping it would give her the advantage she needed in her trial.

Now immersed in her datapad, Adora was greatly startled by the sudden movement of her door. It slid open and, since she had been leaning on it, she went hurdling to the floor.

“What is the meaning of this?” a deep and unimpressed voice asked.

Adora shot up, bringing her heels together and lifting a swift hand to her head, middle finger pressed to the edge of her eyebrow- the perfect salute.

“Shadow Weaver! Ma’am!”

“At ease,” Shadow Weaver said, unable to hide the chuckle in her voice. She reached down and adjusted Adora’s collar. “I see you’re ready for the trial.”

“Yes, I am! I’ve studied nonstop, ma’am!” Adora struggled to control her volume, eyes darting to the open door behind Shadow Weaver with abject delight. She felt her heart pumping and blood buzzing as if bees were under her skin.

“Well, shall we go, then?”

Adora sprinted to the door with so much speed and enthusiasm, she didn’t register the hand on her shoulder until she had tugged Shadow Weaver into the hall, where she faintly stumbled. Adora froze under the touch, wondering if she would be reprimanded for being too rambunctious.

“Save that energy for the trial, cadet,” Shadow Weaver chastised with only minor irritation. “And remember, I will be in charge of the squad with the best score. All you have to do is rank in the top five. That won’t be hard for my star pupil, will it?”

“I’ll rank first, ma’am.”

“Good girl.”

Shadow Weaver lifted her hand and allowed Adora to bound down the hall, even though she had no clue where she actually needed to go.  She glanced over her shoulder, watching Shadow Weaver drift after her. Adora never saw Shadow Weaver’s face, but she learnt to read her body language and knew she was smiling under her mask. Her shoulders would sag, lose their tension, and there was a bounce in her movements; she was pleased.

Once Shadow Weaver had turned down the hall to the left, Adora sprinted to the next juncture, peering down each corridor in wonder. She rarely got to leave her room, so any sort of excursion was thrilling. Seeing guards on patrol or chatting to each other had Adora even more eager. She wanted so badly to join them.

After travelling deeper into the base, they stopped in front of a large door. It looked like any other door. Metal. Cold. It was hard to believe Adora’s next step in life was on the other side.

“You’re on your own from this point, Adora. Listen to instructions and don’t let the other cadets distract you. They are your competition, after all,” Shadow Weaver advised.

Adora’s excitement briefly drained away as anxiety hollowed out her stomach. The thought of not having Shadow Weaver there to guide her was unsettling. She wanted to grab the crimson robes so close to her, but instead fortified herself, bringing a hand to her brow in a crisp salute. She had tried to fight it, but Shadow Weaver must’ve seen her hand trembling, because she bent to her knee and cupped Adora’s chin. It was the closest thing to affection Adora knew.

“You’ve studied hard for this, Adora. You are the most promising cadet I have ever mentored and I know you won’t let me down.” There’s something close to pride in the deep tones of Shadow Weaver’s voice; it soothed Adora’s nerves and steeled her resolve.

She saluted again, this time without a quiver. “Thank you, ma’am.”

Adora waited as Shadow Weaver entered the access code. The doors separated and Adora stepped over the threshold.  

A small crowd of cadets were gathered before a platform, where three robed figures stood. The assessors. They were surrounded by consoles, each one a different camera display of the entire obstacle course that awaited the cadets. Below them was a table stretching the length of the platform, where small gear packs lay.

“All 25 cadets are now in attendance. Form a line and scan your tags. Once the system has you registered, you may take one gear pack,” the assessor on the far left announced.

Eager to begin, Adora shoved through the crowd, earning a few glares from unfamiliar faces. She hadn’t seen any other children her age before, so it was incredible that this many had been hidden away throughout the base. Bursting through the front line, Adora rushed to the table. Scanners were fixed to either end and Adora swept her hair out of the way, allowing the sensor to detect the code embedded in the back of her neck. It dinged in confirmation and Adora moved aside to let the next cadet be scanned. He was a large scaled boy, fangs protruding from his mouth and sharp claws tipping his fingers. He towered over the other cadets, even though he was likely the same age as all of them. Adora had a feeling he was going to do well in the trial.

Adora retrieved her gear pack. There was a green-tinted visor, an arm brace, and a utility belt cradled in the hexagonal plate of metal. She quickly slipped each item on, seeing from the corner of her eye that some of the other cadets struggled with even this simple task. All these kids should have been briefed and trained the same way she was, but with the way they fumbled and looked to the assessors in panic, she was starting to realise that maybe not everyone had a mentor like Shadow Weaver.

With all the items equipped, she held the pack to her chest and pressed down on the centre. Straps extended from the corners and she shouldered them, reaching back to clip the plate into place. It fit snugly around her torso and she took a few slow steps, gauging the weight of all her gear. She may have read extensively about the function of each item, but she had never actually used any of them. She ran a reverent hand over the arm brace that would be her shield. Moving down to her belt, she touched each item affixed to it, counting four stun grenades, a flashlight and an extendable staff. The staff was the one weapon Adora actually had some experience with. Shadow Weaver had allowed her to use one, so long as she kept it hidden and didn’t cause too much damage to her room.  

The last person slipped on their chest piece and the assessors each lifted a console, sliding through the information on the displays in an eerie silence. No one dared speak, but some of the cadets shared an anxious glance. Adora tried to ignore them, keeping her attention on the assessors.

One of the assessors lifted their head, now addressing the crowd. “Once inside the dome, go to your designated starting point.”

A door to the right of the assessors’ platform opened, green lights flickering along its frame. The cadets cautiously stepped through and nearly everyone stopped and stared.

The dome was massive. Adora could hardly make out the other side of it; the only indication it was even within her line of sight was a distant blue light pulsing on the opposing wall. Five sections were lit up in a different colour, covering the circumference of the dome. The division of cadets was alphabetical for their first trial, but would later be performance based. The small display pad on Adora’s chest piece flashed red and she made her way over to the correct zone.

Three other cadets awaited her. There were two boys, who were shoving each other and laughing as they played around with their shields. There was a girl spinning her staff around in her hand lazily, peering around at the dome as if she would rather be anywhere else. Adora scrunched her nose, not understanding why anyone would walk into such a grand place and have that sort of an attitude. Briefly, she wondered where the final cadet was, but then Adora saw a flash of movement in the far corner of the red-lit area.  The last cadet was crouched down low with her arms folded around herself. What had alerted Adora to her presence was a tail, which slithered around on the floor like a restless snake. The girl had large fuzzy ears that lay down flat, her gaze set in a glare. She did not look ready for a fight.

Adora hadn’t expected the first kids she met to be such an unprepared bunch, but it did reassure her a little. If these cadets weren’t going to take the trial seriously, then Adora wouldn’t even have to break a sweat to come out on top. She was thinking about wishing everyone luck, since they clearly needed it, but a loud siren shattered the quiet hum of the dome.

“Trial setting: the Whispering Woods. Timer starts now.” A second siren pierced the dome, and then everything went dark. Shapes started to form in the low light and when Adora’s vision adjusted, she found herself outside. Trees had sprouted and grass stretched out underfoot. The other coloured zones blinked out of existence. Adora groped at her utility belt until she found her flashlight and switched it on. She heard murmuring from behind her and turned, shining her light on the remaining boys; the other two cadets had vanished. They were struggling to unlatch their flashlights and when one finally loosened his, he dropped it with a yelp.

Adora rolled her eyes and started to move into the woods, elbowing branches out of the way. She activated her visor, the display revealing red splotches of fuel emissions, leading deeper into the trees. The boys still fidgeted behind her and Adora’s first instinct was to leave them to figure out what to do for themselves.

She turned on them. “Guys, get your visors switched on and start moving. You’ll be ambushed if you stay in one place.”

“Uh, right.” The boy on the left pressed his visor, jumping when he likely saw the red splotches on the display.

Adora followed the trail and wasn’t surprised to hear footsteps crunching behind her. The boys were on her heels. As long as they didn’t slow her down, she didn’t have a problem with their proximity.

The trail grew thicker and darker, which meant they were getting close to the source. Adora shone her flashlight on one of the darker emissions, finding broken branches and a scrap of metal in the dirt. She bent down to see if there were any more clues. Her concentration broke as a yell sounded behind her. The boys weren’t with her anymore. She sprinted towards the sound, pulling out her staff and vaulting over a fallen tree to find a large spherical robot with 4 spider-like legs trying to stomp on one of the boys. He darted underneath the belly of the machine, while the other uselessly banged his staff against a thick leg.

Striking the legs would have no effect. That was not a weak point on this particular robot. Analysing its size and confirming its model, Adora circled around the bot, out of its limited sensor range, and climbed on some rocks that extended over the sad excuse for a fight. Adora was now in a good position over the robot. She took a step back and launched off the top of the rock, staff raised over her head. Using the weight of her fall to strengthen her strike, she jammed her staff into one of the hollows above the robot’s leg. A fizz of electricity shot out of the hole, and the entire leg detached. The robot wobbled for a moment, but still remained standing. Adora ripped out her staff and wedged it into another slot, disabling a second leg. With two legs unusable, the robot started to tip to one side.  Adora removed her staff and jumped off the machine. It slammed into the stack of rocks Adora had used as her ambush point, smashing its sensor node on impact.

Adora watched the smoke waft from the downed bot, wiping the sweat from her brow with a relieved sigh. She looked to where the boys had been, wanting to check they hadn’t been injured, but it seemed they had abandoned her. She was fine with that, but without having to put on a brave face for someone else, the forest was far more daunting. She knew it was just a simulation; that the piles of rocks were just metal boxes, and the trees were rods or pillars. The training dome was just a well-constructed machine that could reshape itself, making the simulations more immersive. She knew. She’d studied it. But even being aware of the truth, Adora felt her heart start to beat a little faster as she scanned the overgrowth around her, dark shadows shimmering between the trees. She was a Horde soldier. She shouldn’t be afraid of the dark.

Travelling away from the smoking bot, Adora found signs of another trail. Her visor was providing more assistance than her flashlight, so she let it lead her. The fuel emissions were in the trees this time, floating amongst the vines and leaves. It may have been a drone, watching her performance, or a potential threat. Deciding there was only one way to confirm which it was, Adora followed the trail.

The red blotches on her display should have been getting darker, but they were actually thinning, cutting off at some points. She worried that her visor could be malfunctioning and hoisted herself up onto a low-hanging branch where the trail had faltered. She lifted her visor and closely inspected the simulated bark. There were no grazes or even minor disturbances.

Adora slid off the branch, but as her feet hit the ground, a deep hum swept through the woods, the sound so heavy it made Adora unstable. Everything was growing darker and darker. The red tints in the air vanished and Adora’s flashlight flickered out. She stood stunned for a moment, existing in total darkness. She couldn’t even tell where her own hand was. Dread steadily crept into her chest. Surely this was just part of the trial. Everything happened on purpose here. It was all wiring and shifting panels. She was in the belly of a machine, not a lightless forest full of unknowns.

Two orbs of light appeared a few yards ahead and Adora gratefully trudged towards them, thinking they may have been beacons drawing her to the next battle zone. As she got closer, a low rumbling started to emit in the direction of the lights. Something about the sound made Adora’s spine tingle, feathering across her back in a strange burning sensation. She knew what fear was, but this was different.

The lights blinked.

Adora stopped. She wasn’t seeing beacons. She was seeing a monster. Its silhouette loomed over her, eyes blinding and teeth bared. It growled at her and it didn’t sound at all mechanical. This creature sounded alive. And angry. She was petrified, unable to run despite her instincts screaming at her to flee. This was not a beast she could fight. The creature bent and growled again, its breath sweeping over Adora in a heated wave. It was becoming increasingly hot, but she couldn’t stop trembling. Her back hurt. It hurt so much.

Adora was ready for the end, ready to lose this trial and be eaten by the one monster that was breathing. She braced herself as the entire darkness seemed to shift with the movement of the beast. Eyes clenched shut, she waited. She felt the ground shake beneath her. It was taking its time.

Adora peeked open an eye and found the creature was trotting away.

She knew it was stupid and reckless and something she definitely would regret, but Adora chased it. She blindly slammed her shoulder several times, tripped over unseen obstacles and ran straight into hard objects. She was trying to keep up with the faint outline of a monster that could have eaten her in a single snap of its jaws. It was getting too far away. No matter how fast she ran, she couldn’t keep up. Her whole body felt sluggish, like she was the machine and her joints had rusted over, resisting every step she took.

In the distance, she saw the shadow stop. It started to turn. The second its eyes were facing Adora, they emitted a light so bright everything was encased in a blast of white. Adora fell back, physically moved by the light and then she was back on the grass, with trees all around and her flashlight sitting at her side.

There was no clearing, nowhere ahead where the creature she’d seen could have been. The simulation had returned to its original state.

A bush shook to her right and Adora leapt at it, needing answers, needing to catch the beast. The bush cried out as she tackled it and Adora spread the leaves to find the girl with the pointed ears squatting in the dirt.

“Oh, uh, sorry, I thought you were-”

Adora was silenced by a hand slapping over her mouth. She was wrenched into the bush and as she struggled, she could hear a faint buzzing sound. The girl held a finger to her lips, noiselessly spread the leaves aside and pointed. Adora saw three bots floating in the air in front of her, adorned with yellow stripes and sharp stingers at their base. She recognised them. They were swarmers; they travelled in great numbers and were notorious for causing devastating point deductions during trials.

One of them lagged behind, a wing seemingly damaged. It bobbed in the air as it desperately tried to stay afloat. As it passed the bush where the two were hiding, the cadet at Adora’s side launched forward, swiped the bot down to the ground, then threw herself into an adjacent bush.

The other two swarmers heard the commotion and whizzed back to inspect the damaged unit. Adora saw this as her opportunity and jumped from the bush, knocking both bots down to the ground with her staff. They unleashed loud screeches and Adora beat them into silence.

The other cadet reappeared, kicking the scrap metal inquisitively. Adora was overcome by a surge of gratitude. Not only had this girl saved her, she had snubbed out a large portion of the complete terror Adora had just experienced when the simulation glitched.

She didn’t get a chance to say a word to the girl before she whipped around, ears twitching. It was sort of cute, but Adora knew it wasn’t a good sign. The girl grabbed her arm and tugged Adora into cover behind a log, huddling close as her sharp eyes watched for the incoming swarmers. It was only then that Adora noticed she had lost her flashlight. The girl next to her didn’t even have one strapped to her belt, nor was she wearing a visor. Adora’s feline companion could probably see in the dark. Unlike humans, many alien species had incredible senses and didn’t need to rely on technology.

Adora’s visor was flooded with streaks of red, highlighting the swarmers as they burst through the tree line. There were a lot more of them now. Ten by Adora’s count. They hovered around their broken brethren, then started to search the area.

Adora wordlessly unlatched one of her stun grenades. The other cadet’s mismatching eyes lit up at the sight of it, tail quivering in what Adora assumed was excitement. She pulled the pin and tossed the grenade into the small clearing in front of them. The grenade had an initial strobe effect, drawing in the swarmers. Once they surrounded the device, it flashed harshly. It was so bright Adora’s visor went completely blank for a second.

The swarmers started to fly in circles, drifting sloppily in the air. Adora readied her staff and the other cadet raised a hand, claws extended. Adora counted down in a whisper. Simultaneously, they leapt from behind the log and attacked.

The robots recovered quickly from their stunned states, regaining their speed and coordination. Even though Adora had disabled three swarmers while they had been incapacitated, more had appeared.

The swarmers wormed their way behind Adora, separating her from the other cadet. Their stingers made contact, poking her in the shoulders and the legs. Her chest plate made horrid buzzing sounds with each hit, signalling the deduction of her points. She uselessly waved her staff around, trying to hit the bots that seemed to get quicker with every sting they inflicted.

Adora was hit by something heavy and she went flying backwards into the ground. She thought another bot had joined the battle, but when she opened her eyes, she found the other cadet perched atop her. She’d moved them away from the concentration of the attack. Adora’s visor highlighted a patch of red over the girl’s head and she raised her staff, smashing the swarmer that had almost landed a hit.

The two shared a nod and they got to their feet, facing the swarmers as they closed in. This time, they fought together. Adora slammed one swarmer to the ground and the other cadet catapulted over Adora’s crouched body, slashing another oncoming swarmer to pieces. They went back-to-back, almost touching, delivering blows to every swarmer that dared drift too close. Soon, only one remained. The other cadet pounced at the robot, burying her claws into either side, slicing it down the middle. The swarmer sizzled and fell apart.

Adora took a breath, thankful it was over.

Maybe it was the blood pounding in her ears, but Adora hadn’t heard the faint buzzing coming from above. Her visor tinted red at the upper edge and she looked up in time to see the swarmers converging on her friend, whose claws were stuck in the wiring of the bot she’d just torn apart. Adora, without really thinking, or having practiced the move before, took a running leap and used her staff to propel herself into the oncoming swarmers. She kicked them both out of the air and fell gracelessly to the ground, atop the scrap metal.

Adora lay still, unsure if she had injured herself or if she’d actually even disabled the robots.  She thought she heard a cough, which made her head snap in the direction of the sound. Then what followed was a high-pitched laugh. The other cadet was hunched over, laughing hard. She laughed until she was out of breath.

Adora managed a chuckle as she pulled herself out of the wreckage, approaching her amused companion.  “Thanks for saving me back there,” she said. “You are really fast, ya know. I’ve never seen anyone move like that.”

The girl’s ears flattened and she looked away, amusement settling into embarrassment.

Adora held out her hand. “I’m Adora.”

The girl hesitated, observing Adora’s hand like she’d never seen anything like it before. She reached out slowly. They made contact and Adora squeezed. The girl tensed, claws digging into Adora’s wrist. She hissed and snatched her hand away. The cadet was startled and withdrew, staring in horror at the small trickle of blood now sliding down Adora’s hand. She backed away, unblinking.

“No, wait, it’s okay! I’m okay!” Adora tried to reassure her, holding up her hands, but it just caused the blood to trickle down her arm and the girl kept moving back until she was consumed by the trees.

Adora sighed, starting to feel a twinge in her shoulder. The simulation seemed like it’d been going on for hours. She had no flashlight and her staff was nearly bent in half. She wasn’t sure how much longer she could go on. She knew Shadow Weaver was counting on her to rank first, but if she was already this exhausted, Adora doubted she’d even make it to the top five.

A wail erupted, shaking the dome. Lights flickered on and the landscape reverted to its mechanical state, the panelling and pillars lowering into the floor. Adora and the twenty-four other cadets were now revealed to each other, scattered around the dome.

“Time is up.”

Adora was flushed with relief, struggling with all her might not to collapse to the floor. Other cadets didn’t seem to care as much and crumbled immediately, awaiting their fate.

“Ranks will now be assigned.” There was a fizzling sound blasting through the speakers, long and consistent. Adora dug her fingers into her staff as she wondered what Shadow Weaver would say when the results were announced. She might be disowned, or ejected from the Horde. She knew cadets who didn’t carry their weight were an unwanted liability.

“Green team Alpha, in ranking order: Adora, Catra, Lonnie, Rogelio, Kyle. Assemble in your designated zone. Blue team Beta…”

The rest of the announcement drowned out as Adora’s chest plate turned a brilliant green. She had done it. She’d ranked first. She didn’t recognise any of the other names listed and she trudged over to the green zone, tired and elated. The scaly boy she’d seen earlier was there, along with a much smaller blonde boy. They introduced themselves as Rogelio and Kyle. Adora nodded, smiling as another cadet strolled in, identifying herself as Lonnie. This was Adora’s new team, the people she’d share the barracks with; the people she’d train with until she was old enough to see active duty. They all seemed like reliable cadets and it was only after the pleasantries had been exchanged that Adora realised one was still missing. Catra.

Adora examined the dome and it appeared everyone had gone to their zones. There was no one left. Adora wanted to question it, but Shadow Weaver had approached the group.

“Attention!” she yelled, drifting before the cadets as they brought their heels together and raised their arms in a salute. “Where’s my last cadet?” she asked.

“Right here.”  

Adora was struck with unexpected glee when she saw the cadet that had fought alongside her sauntering towards the green zone.

“Catra, is it? Don’t make a habit of being late,” Shadow Weaver snapped.

“I won’t, ma’am.”

Catra joined Adora’s side, arm rising in a lazy salute.

“I am Shadow Weaver, your temporary Force Captain. I will not go easy on any of you, and if you wish to succeed, you will obey my every order. I expect only the best from each of you. Do not disappoint me.”

Adora tried to pay attention to the rest of Shadow Weaver’s speech, but there was an itch on her wrist that was highly distracting. She glanced down and saw Catra’s tail wrapping around her hand, over the injury she’d caused, as if in apology. She lifted her gaze and found Catra watching her. Maybe she was asking for forgiveness. Adora knew better than to speak while Shadow Weaver was on one of her tangents, so she settled for a smile.

Catra seemed to accept this and turned back to Shadow Weaver, but her tail remained around Adora’s wrist.

 

* * *

 

Mornings were different in Bright Moon. Birds chirped gleefully as they fluttered amidst the castle gutters, building nests and pecking at roaming insects.  The landscape housed many bodies of water and they all ran together to create a consistent babble. Even the guards in the castle were soft-footed, patrolling the halls in near silence, as if moving about exclusively on their toes. Everything was still, yet alive and flowing. It was hard to get used to. Adora was more familiar with noise. In the Horde, everyone would be roused by the screech of metal. The pipes would groan in protest as water rushed through them and steam would hiss through cracks in the wall. The base coughed and shifted like a steel giant that could never find comfort.

That was what Adora used to think was home; noise and restlessness. Now, she wasn’t sure what home really was. Bright Moon had accepted her, to a degree, and Angella had allowed her to live in her castle. And yet, Adora still felt out of place. Maybe she still needed time to adjust. After all, the only life she ever knew was one of confinement. She’d grown up in a single room she could never leave, then simply moved into a bigger room she shared with her quadrant. She had lived with walls all around her and strict rules controlled her every move. She could never go back to that life, but, Adora had to admit, freedom was turning out to be just as stifling.  

Adora was dragged from her thoughts when a soft knock permeated the quiet of her bedroom.

“Come in,” she called as she sat up and rubbed her palms across her eyes.

Not bothering to open the door, Glimmer materialised in the middle of Adora’s room in a burst of light. “Good morning!” she said brightly. Glimmer wasn’t normally so chipper at this time of the day, but she made her way to Adora’s bed with a skip in her step.  “Did you sleep okay?”

Adora blinked. That’s why Glimmer was so perky. She’d slept in her own bed for the first time since Adora moved in. It was with a trace of guilt that Adora realised she hadn’t even noticed Glimmer and Bow weren’t at her side when she woke up.

 “Yeah, surprisingly. I…actually forgot I was alone,” she replied.

Glimmer had perched next to her and didn’t appear insulted by the comment. Instead, she placed her hand on Adora’s arm.

“That’s because you’re not. I’m only just around the corner,” she said.

Adora felt a rush of warmth go through her. Glimmer was reserved when they’d first met, but once she trusted Adora, she had been nothing but kind. Adora was still unused to hugs but thought it was appropriate to wrap an arm around her friend.

“Mom wants to talk strategy over breakfast. I really didn’t want to wake you, but she said it’s pretty urgent.”

“Just give me a sec and I’ll meet you down there.”

Glimmer was gone in a burst of sparkling light and Adora sat still, looking at her empty room. She really had spent the night alone. But it hadn’t felt that way. Having people around her was something Adora could feel, even in her sleep. The introduction of She-ra had bestowed Adora with heightened senses. Whatever she thought was nearby had been more of a comfort than a concern.  This only further confused Adora. It was like she was a child again, experiencing new and overwhelming emotions. She was bad at managing them in the Horde, and even worse at managing her new abilities now.

It hadn’t been long since the attack on Bright Moon, but once the kingdom itself had mostly been restored, further measures were necessary in order to better their defences. Adora assumed this was what Angella wanted to discuss with her specifically, and she was eager to be more involved with the rebuilding efforts. She’d been stuck in bed nursing her injuries for nearly a week. She-ra may have been strong, but she wasn’t invincible. After facing down the Horde and taking so many blows, Adora was the one who had to deal with the aches and pains that followed.

Adora removed her shirt and checked her back in her vanity mirror; the claw marks left by Catra were now a faint red. A wound like that should have taken weeks to heal, but another perk of being She-ra was accelerated healing. Running a hand over parts of the injury, Adora found it puzzling that there wasn’t even a twinge of pain. She remembered so vividly how her back had been throbbing in the night, yet the marks looked completely fine and didn’t sting when prodded. The castle healers had even examined it the night prior and were happy with its appearance.

Deciding to worry about it later, Adora trudged towards the shower. She wasn’t really one for luxury, having very little possessions in the Horde, but she was partial to practicality. Adora had asked for the fountain in her room to be converted into a shower, which wasn’t much of an endeavour since it had the drainage and water system already installed. She thought it was pretty, but useless. The shower was concealed by long, flowing curtains, matching the drapery around her bed. Adora was reluctant at first to have any alterations made to her room, but Glimmer insisted it was important for her to feel comfortable, so she gradually started to ask for minor changes. She liked having everything she needed in one place. It made her remember the better parts of her childhood.

Adora left her room once she’d showered and dressed and trailed down the hall, already feeling lost in the extravagance. There were shimmering murals layering the walls, each one more grand than the last. There was an abundance of colours and stained glass, depicting images of battles and people Adora didn’t recognise. The whole history of Bright Moon was painted on every surface and Adora struggled to absorb it all. The Horde had been redundant and flat. Layouts were efficient and basic, and most rooms and bases were built identically. Bright Moon was easy to get lost in. Counting turns wasn’t so simple when nothing was the same. Some halls didn’t even lead to rooms; they cut off and housed some pointless decorative feature, like a statue or portrait.  

Soon, the smell of food drew Adora in the right direction and she followed her nose. She had been late for breakfast countless times because she was distracted studying a mural or flicking through a datapad that had been left within her line of sight.  

The dining hall was as heavily decorated as every other room of the castle. Angella was seated at the long table, in a deep conversation with Glimmer. They were the only ones present and Adora didn’t want to interrupt, but she was starving and there were so many plates of food covering the table. She let go of any hesitance and noisily pulled out a chair, leant her knee on it and hunched over the table, grabbing every piece of food she could reach. She piled her plate high then sat back, satisfied with her bountiful haul. She picked up a piece of fruit and lifted it to her mouth.

The hall had gone quiet and Adora, open-mouthed, glanced at the head of the table to find Angella and Glimmer gawking at her.

“Uh…” she started eloquently. “Good morning, Your Majesty.”

Glimmer giggled as Angella’s eyebrow twitched, alluding to her irritation, but she quickly schooled her expression into a tight-lipped smile. “Good of you to join us, Adora. We were just discussing the reparations of the castle. Considering the amount of soldiers that attacked, I’m thankful the damages weren’t painfully extensive.”

Adora couldn’t help herself and had already started to wolf down her breakfast. She was unable to respond.

Angella didn’t outwardly react to the gluttonous display and continued speaking. “Their second in command is far more cunning than I anticipated. Glimmer tells me you know her well, Adora?”

Adora swallowed and cleared her throat. “Yes.”

“What do you think her next move will be?”

“They suffered a huge loss.” Adora spoke with a touch of reverence, still not fully believing that She-ra and a small handful of princesses had defeated an army. Whatever the Horde did next would have to be a step up. “I think they’ll spend time rebuilding machines and recruiting more soldiers. I’d say we have a few weeks until they try anything big.”

“Where do these new soldiers come from?” Angella asked. “Very few are actively allied with the Horde.”

“Hordak will try to reach out to neutral kingdoms. They may not be openly supporting or challenging the Horde, but they will provide them with resources, soldiers included. Anyone who doesn’t supply the Horde will be the next target for an attack. Most just think it’s easier to send food and an army squadron than have a war.”

“That is dreadful. I’m surprised I hadn’t been informed of this before.”

“I bet they’re ashamed, Mom. I can’t imagine the other princesses happily sacrificing their food and defences and then writing to tell you about how they’re basically negating the rebellion,” Glimmer said, attempting to be reasonable. But it was clear she was just as shocked by the information.

“I suppose you’re right. Still, it saddens me to think how many soldiers might just be innocent people forced to fight. Do they have any other recruitment methods, Adora?” Angella tried to keep her face free of emotion, but Adora was beginning to notice the subtle hints the queen gave when she was becoming worried. She would find something to grip; the table edge, the arms of her chair, her own knees. It seemed like a neutral position, but Adora would catch her knuckles flexing. Angella was holding tightly for support.

Right then, Angella was holding the table. It was like she was aware of what Adora would say next, but merely wanted the confirmation.

Adora lowered her head.

 “Kidnapping.”

Angella and Glimmer shared a collective look of horror. Adora had forgotten about her plate of food. She had been naïve and greatly regretted her blind devotion to an army of violent invaders.

“They’ll steal babies and children from royalty so that the royal line is weakened,” she continued, every word like a punch to her stomach. “They always told me they were rescuing these children from a life of suffering. I knew a girl who had been taken in at an older age. She resisted and tried to escape a few times. Then she disappeared for months. When she came back, she was a completely different person. All she cared about was serving the Horde.”

“You mean, she was brainwashed?” Glimmer asked, stunned.

Adora nodded sharply. “Even without extreme measures like that, Commanders would drill the same thing into a child’s head: All the princesses are monsters with terrifying powers. They want only destruction and the Horde is the last line of defence Etheria has. We are taught to fear the princesses and to attack them without mercy. A lot of us had nightmares.”

“Adora, I had no idea…” Glimmer was staring at Adora like she’d just lost an arm.

“I feel stupid for not seeing them for what they were from the beginning.” Adora focused on her hands, which were clenched on the table, trembling. Scars criss-crossed over her wrists and fingers, snaking up her arms. Some were from battle, from training, but some were accidents with Catra. The mere thought of her made Adora’s heart sink. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Glimmer interjected vehemently.  “They brainwashed you, too.”

“Adora, I didn’t intend for my questions to dredge up so much pain from your past. I’m sorry for that.” Angella spoke softly, as if afraid her volume might harm Adora in her fragile state. “Your information is very helpful.”

Adora nodded, hating the guilt that sat in her chest as heavily as a stone. She needed a distraction. “Is there anything I can do? I know I’m not fully recovered, but I can’t just lie around anymore.”

“I don’t think-”

“Please.”

Angella had been the most worried about Adora while she was recuperating. Glimmer had tried to sneak her out into the gardens and had been severely reprimanded when one of Adora’s cuts reopened. Angella doted on her, and made sure her every need was met. Adora was unused to such attention and often felt uncomfortable and confused when the queen insisted she rest. Even when injured, soldiers in the Horde were expected to continue on with their usual duties.

Angella relented. “Our best advantage was the Whispering Woods. With so much of it destroyed, the Horde has an easy path right to our door. Princess Perfuma has offered to help restore as much of the land bordering Bright Moon as best as she can, but maybe She-ra can assist, too.”

“Uh, well, I still haven’t exactly mastered my healing powers yet, but I’ll try my best. Thank you, Your Majesty,” Adora said, relieved to finally have the opportunity to get outside and do something.

Glimmer stood from her chair and rounded the table. She wrapped her arms around Adora and shouted a quick, “Bye, Mom!” before Adora was subjected to Glimmer’s teleportation. It was a quick journey, but the sensation gave Adora slight motion sickness and the blend of colours that flashed across her eyes within a microsecond was even more dizzying. Glimmer’s magic was definitely becoming more powerful, as she teleported them a good distance outside of the castle. She was fully recharged and Adora held on tightly as Glimmer mercilessly transported them all the way to the edge of the Whispering Woods.

Perfuma was in sight, hands pressed against a frozen tree. She stroked down the bark, as if trying to soothe it. A small portion started to defrost. Bow was nearby, using a pickaxe to break off chunks of ice. There were a few of Perfuma’s people scattered about, breaking ice and wheeling it away in small carts. Now that the weather had been regulated, the ice would likely melt on its own, but whatever force had controlled the biome of the Whispering Woods was gone. There was no life.

“How’s it going, guys?” Glimmer asked, joining Bow and giving him a hug as he lowered his pickaxe.

“It goes slow. I’ve never seen the Whispering Woods like this before. Even though it was full of weird stuff that could kill us, I think I preferred that to this,” Bow replied, grunting as he swung his axe at the ice encasing the tree again.

“Well, maybe She-ra can set things right,” Perfuma said, aiming a hopeful look at Adora. The princess had such undying faith in She-ra. It was a little unnerving.

Adora removed her sword from her back, raised it to the sky and shouted the familiar declaration that immediately shot a pulse of power throughout her. She felt her muscles tense as her body filled out to the 8-foot tall mass that was She-ra.

The weight of the sword was now nothing more than a feather and She-ra stabbed the blade into the soft soil. She channelled her focus, trying to encourage the ice to melt and the trees to heal. Cracks formed in the dirt and beams of light spilled from them, reflecting off She-ra’s sword. She put her whole self into this, begging the untapped well of power within her to heal the forest and restore order. But, despite her desperation, she still had the sense of falling short.

Perfuma leant into the closest tree, likely feeling something much deeper than its surface. She frowned at She-ra and said, “There’s no change.”

She-ra huffed and ripped her sword from the dirt. “Guess we’re doing this the old-fashioned way.”

Frustrated that she still hadn’t even gotten some modicum of control over her powers, She-ra slammed her sword into a tree to her right, rattling it and causing copious amounts of ice and snow to come crashing to the ground. Glimmer had to snatch Bow out from beneath it and teleport to a safe distance. She-ra, oblivious, continued on her rampage.

Progress would be slow, but Perfuma’s magic was very helpful. She was choosing to help revitalise the plants to their very roots, rather than just sweeping away the ice like She-ra was doing. Glimmer’s light beam attacks were blinding, but not heated, so didn’t have too much effect on the ice. She had adopted Bow’s method and was smashing the ice with a pickaxe.

As She-ra worked, she came across what appeared to be a puddle of water. It was an off-putting black colour and she bent to examine it. Using her sword, she poked at the puddle, jumping back when it chattered and lifted from the ground. It sprouted a head and arms and three long fingers protruded from each hand. Stubby legs lifted it to stand no higher than She-ra’s waist.

She-ra stared at the creature, inspecting its unusual shape and the glowing streams of green and red streaking its form. It bobbed its head from side-to side, watching She-ra right back. She wondered if it was one of the many creatures of the forest, travelling aimlessly after losing its home. She cautiously lifted a finger to poke at its arm, but before she could touch it, the creature launched into She-ra’s chest at full speed. She stumbled back from the impact and had little time to react before the thing leapt at her again. She-ra brought her hands together, capturing the creature just before it struck.

The texture of it was rubbery and rings flashed on its head, forming the image of a target. She-ra tilted it forward and felt her blood run cold when she saw what was on its back. The Horde’s insignia stretched down the length of what She-ra now realised was a robot.  She had never seen a design like this before, and she had studied every model that was ever constructed by the Horde.

The robot let out a series of shrill beeps, as if protesting She-ra’s grip. It caved in on itself and slipped from She-ra’s hands, liquefied.

An arrow whizzed by She-ra’s head and pierced the bot. The arrow sunk into the robot’s black body like it was falling into sand, then exited uselessly through its back.

She-ra punched it right in the face, but her hand was absorbed by the strange inky substance it was made from. It beeped, vibrating around her fingers. Disgusted, She-ra swung her sword through the midsection of the bot, just for that to be absorbed as well. The robot continued to make high-pitched sounds.

Glimmer shot a bolt of light into the robot’s body, hoping to stun it into submission, but it seemed like its sensors weren’t light sensitive and it simply crept up She-ra’s arm further. She started to panic, flailing about, trying to extricate herself from its body. It was vibrating more violently, convulsing harshly around her hand.

A massive vine whipped at the robot, and this luckily impacted it. The robot was tossed aside, forced to release She-ra’s arm and sword with a disapproving mechanical noise. Perfuma attempted to wrap her vine around the robot, but it melted, slipping free easily. It then doubled in size and, using its long arms, trotted towards She-ra. She wasn’t sure what to do considering it had absorbed her previous strikes.

It closed in on her and she simply reacted. She-ra swung her sword with all her might, slicing the robot in two.

It collapsed to the ground and everyone circled it, staring down in bafflement as it twitched and reformed. She-ra prepared to stab it again, but it scurried away, leaping up into the trees and fleeing as quickly as it had come.

“What the heck was that thing?!” Glimmer cried.

“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” She-ra responded, cleaning off the black remnants that clung to her sword.

“Why did it run? It kinda seemed like it had the advantage,” Bow commented, retrieving the arrow that had punctured the robot.

“I don’t know, but I don’t like it.” She-ra had a bad feeling after the encounter; like that robot didn’t flee because they’d overpowered it, but because it got what it needed. Whatever it was, she couldn’t be certain. Maybe she was just being paranoid.

Thinking it would be best to mention it to Angella once she got back to the castle, She-ra continued to work with her friends to restore more of the woods bordering Bright Moon. But she kept an eye on the tree line, wondering if the unfamiliar robot would return.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to thank [Gemdoe](http://www.gemdoe.tumblr.com) for her lovely [post](http://gemdoe.tumblr.com/post/182173872438/my-pal-wolfcryptic-has-been-working-real-hard-on) about this fic. Her art is amazing and if you don't follow her on Tumblr, then you NEED TO IMMEDIATELY!

_Cool your loveless wallowing_

Inked corridors stretched far across the paper’s surface, splaying out into large rooms labelled as weapon caches. Five rooms in total had this label. The maze of halls and scattered armouries were all positioned around the largest gap of empty space, where a red X was scratched in the centre and underneath that read _Princess Frosta_. Thanks to recent intel, cadets had been issued accurate layouts of the Kingdom of Snows’ castle. Their instructions were to create a detailed infiltration strategy and Adora had been in the cafeteria since breakfast trying to complete her assignment. She had already burned through several blueprints, all dubbed failed attempts. None of them were fool proof.

An overt assault would be the least successful. The Kingdom of Snows was well-fortified, with walls constructed of ice that Princess Frosta could resize and move on a whim. She could crush an entire army with a flick of her wrist. Only a stealthy attack would be effective. Adora drew five ovals, signifying troops, at the entrance of the castle. She labelled them as undercover soldiers. She then drew a dotted line that fanned out and led to each weapon cache. This was step one.

Step two was placement of explosives. It would draw attention to each area, disable some of the princess’s guards, and give the infiltration team a small window to incapacitate Frosta.

The borders of the blueprint were becoming cramped with notes and details regarding possible obstacles. Adora played against herself and solved each problem as it arose. She was pleased with this edition of her plan so far, thinking it would be the most efficient way of conquering the Kingdom of Snows.

“Hey, Adora.”

Adora was highly immersed in her project and offered Catra nothing more than a brief nod, which must have irritated her friend, because Catra draped herself across the table, covering Adora’s work. Her tail flicked Adora in the nose. “I’m bored.”

Adora poked Catra’s waist, hitting just the right spot to cause her to unleash an involuntary giggle. She rolled off the table so fast Adora thought she may have hurt herself, but she rose, glaring. “You know I don’t like that,” she said.

“Well, I don’t like when you use my stuff as a bed.”

“You never let me have fun anymore,” Catra whined, chin cradled in the palm of her hand. She scanned Adora’s project disinterestedly. “What are you doing, anyway?”

“Shadow Weaver wanted us to make an infiltration plan, remember?”

“That was only yesterday! Why are you working on it so soon?”

“It’s due tomorrow morning.” Adora saw the flash of surprise cross Catra’s face before she quickly tried to hide it. “Have you started?” she asked, even though she already knew the answer.

“The Horde has actual strategists for this type of thing. I don’t know why Shadow Weaver wants us to waste our time on something that won’t even be used.”

“It’s a good way to familiarise ourselves with the kingdom’s layout.”

“Lame.”

“Is not.”

Catra pointed to the small ovals Adora had drawn at the entrance of the castle. “Is that supposed to be us?”

Adora nodded.

Catra picked up one of the pens piled on the table and pressed it to the paper. Before Adora could stop her, Catra had scribbled on one of the ovals. Twisting her head, Adora realised she’d added ears and a tail. She paused, allowing Catra to move to the next figure, adding details to its head. A ponytail. She continued, until she had created the entire squad. The features were so minor, yet now the ovals were recognisable people in Adora’s life and somehow this made her feel more committed to the success of the plan she’d sketched out.

With some hesitance, Adora retrieved a blue pen and moved to the X marking Princess Frosta. She had no clue what she was doing, but when she withdrew, a little person with a crown and an angry face was now in the centre of the blueprint.

It was like flipping a switch. Catra moved to one of the weapon caches, filling the blank space with small swords, maces, shields, bows and arrows. Adora observed each item with admiration then chuckled, pointing to one drawing and asking, “Is that Octavia?”

“She can be pretty dangerous,” Catra said, pen tapping her foreman, right where Octavia had left a small scar years ago.

The new unspoken assignment was to fill every available space with as much as they could think of. Adora drew tables and chairs, even adding small dishes filled with unusual foods. Catra laughed trying to guess what each one was, mildly disgusted by the plate of cockroaches in particular. Catra had taken to drawing people, making up ridiculous outfits for the princess’ castle staff.

They eventually ran out of space to draw anything more and flipped the paper over, revelling in the giant empty space on the back of the page. Adora didn’t like to be distracted from her work, but Catra had a way of making things fun, and knowing it was something she shouldn’t be doing made it a little more exhilarating.

They kept playing the guessing game, each drawing becoming more outrageous and colourful. Adora was in the process of drawing a huge bird, one she and Catra were riding. The Horde databases held little information of the creatures that called Etheria home. Such information was considered unnecessary as the princesses were the only real threat on the planet. Adora had limited exposure to animals. She was aware of the critters that crept in dark corners and the birds that flew overhead on the rare occasions she was outdoors.

“I would never ride that thing,” Catra said sourly as she saw the giant bird Adora was adding colour to.

“Do you think something like it exists out there?”

“If it did, I’m sure the Horde would just kill it.”

“Don’t say that.”

She knew Catra was joking, but the thought of soldiers killing something innocent made her sick to her stomach. She liked to think they’d want to protect a unique animal that caused no harm, but as far as she knew there were mainly dangerous monsters roaming beyond the walls. Somewhat disheartened, Adora brought her pen back to her drawing of Catra and made her ears three times bigger than what they’d been originally.

“Hey!” Catra hissed, shoving Adora from across the table. She bent over the paper, blocking Adora from stopping her as she started to scribble something Adora couldn’t see. They struggled until Adora managed to push Catra away, finding Catra had drawn a goofy grin on her face and added a speech bubble next to her that read, “I’m a huge dork.”

Adora wanted to be annoyed that Catra had vandalised her work but the alterations made them look so ridiculous she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Maybe there aren’t giant birds, but I’m still excited to go out and explore Etheria with you.”

The amusement left Catra’s smile and turned to something softer. Whenever Adora talked about them leaving together, Catra’s entire demeanour shifted. Her ears drooped, her tail quivered, and a low purr began to rumble deep in her throat. She reached across the table and Adora wasn’t sure for what.

Her motion was halted by a hand latching around her wrist.

Shadow Weaver was standing at the head of the table, tugging Catra out of the way so she could see what they were doing. Adora was petrified, only able to watch on in horror as Shadow Weaver flipped the paper, finding the half-finished infiltration plan on the other side, outshined by the cornucopia of drawings.

“Catra.” Something in her tone caused a heavy ball of fear to unravel in Adora’s chest. “Is this your doing?”

Catra, unfazed by Shadow Weaver’s threatening presence, scrunched up her face, lightly tugging at the hand that clearly clung to her wrist with great force. “I was just trying to make it more realistic.”

“No, you were trying to distract Adora with nonsense, like you always do. Every time I find Adora doing the wrong thing, you’re right there next to her.” Catra flinched and Adora watched her hand start to discolour from the tight grip Shadow Weaver maintained.

“Shadow Weaver, I did the drawings, too! It wasn’t just Catra!” Adora tried to defend her friend, standing from the table.

“Don’t make excuses for her, Adora. Catra is at fault, not you.” Shadow Weaver let go of Catra’s wrist, who immediately cradled it. Red finger imprints remained. She snatched the soiled blueprint from the table and started to rip it apart. Catra, to Adora’s surprise, leapt up and grabbed one side of the paper.

“Don’t ruin it! I want to keep it!”

“Let go this instant!” Shadow Weaver’s hair trembled, splaying out in angry tendrils. The tips of her robes were seeped with black and the very room around her seemed to fade the angrier she got. The lights flickered and the floors vibrated beneath Adora’s feet.

Catra yanked the paper, tearing it out of Shadow Weaver’s hands completely. She tripped forward and caught herself on the table. The shadows around her shivered in response to her mounting fury.

“Insubordinate little…” Shadow Weaver threw up a hand, fingers clawed.

Something happened to Catra. Her entire body went rigid and her skin prickled with small waves of red electricity. Adora had never seen Shadow Weaver’s powers before and Catra was choking out unintelligible protests, eye clenched shut.

The black tendrils whipping around Shadow Weaver consumed her fully, leaving nothing but glowing eyes that bore into Adora like fire. Everything felt incredibly hot and Adora’s back was spasming.

“Stop!” she cried, pulling Catra out of Shadow Weaver’s hold.

Shadow Weaver lowered her hand, reaching for Adora, who shrugged it away. She would never normally defy her commanding officer, but she was shaken and scared.

Adora ran.

She ran as fast as she could to get away from the woman she admired more than anyone; the woman who had raised her and taught her how to tie her shoes; the woman who had only ever held her chin with a firm hand, never a harsh one.

She ran because the further she got, the less her back burned. Distance was a sliver of water down her spine.

Not knowing where she was going, Adora only slowed down when she realised she’d fled to the barracks, where rows upon rows of empty bunks stood.

Adora climbed into her bunk and pulled her blanket over her head, as if the fabric could protect her from everything outside. In her cocoon, Adora allowed herself to cry. She’d never seen Shadow Weaver like that before, never seen her hurt someone before. It terrified her to see her mentor lose her temper.

Light suddenly streamed into the dark armour she’d adorned as the blanket was lifted to reveal Catra’s face.

“You okay?” she asked.

“I should be asking you that,” Adora replied weakly, tears falling more freely when she saw the red marks still marring Catra’s wrist.

Catra crawled under the blanket with Adora, their shoulders bumping. “I’m fine. This isn’t the first time she’s done it.”

 “It’s not? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you adore her, dummy.”

“You should’ve told me.”

Catra shrugged, letting out a breath that warmed their blanket cocoon. “She’s not so tough.”

“I don’t like you getting hurt.”

The blanket was tugged down and Adora tried to protest, but saw that Catra had something in her hand. It was a small notepad. She produced a pen and started to sketch with rapid, angry motions. She combined blacks and reds and blended them together and soon, Adora recognised Shadow Weaver, but with snakes coming out of her head and huge feet. Catra then wrote above the image in huge letters, “Loser.”

Adora couldn’t fight back her laugh, which cut off into a sob. She was both amused and sad. Even when Catra was the one who had been hurt, she was trying to cheer Adora up. Adora hadn’t ever been one for physical contact, but she wrapped her arms around Catra, crying into her hair as Catra continued to draw pictures for her.

 

* * *

 

Repairing the Whispering Woods was an agonisingly slow process. The ice may have been melting, but it wasn’t at an exponential rate and most of the ground had been reduced to a sloshing mess of mud. Each day, She-ra had attempted to use her sword to heal the trees, but it never worked. She was starting to think that maybe she’d never be able to control her powers as well as the other princesses controlled theirs. Glimmer made it appear seamless, even if she burnt out after time. At least she knew what she was capable of. She-ra was still a mystery to Adora. It was Perfuma who carried the weight of mending the land for Bright Moon. The relationship between Bright Moon and Plumeria was better than ever thanks to Perfuma’s tireless efforts. Angella made it a point to have supplies and food delivered to their kingdom regularly, even though most of their crops and livestock had been replenished since the Horde had poisoned their home.

Adora was discouraged, not feeling She-ra had much use when all she could do was as much as any average person with a pickaxe. So, she’d decided to take some time to practice something she was actually good at – strategizing. Atop Swift Wind, Adora took note of all of Bright Moon’s weak points. Growing up within the Horde allowed her to predict how they would advance if the Whispering Woods was no longer accessible. There were lags between guard patrols, easily surpassed walls and unprepared civilians. They took one look at Adora the day she got lost in the village and did nothing but panic. It was clear Bright Moon relied on the power of their queen to protect them. It had already been proven that the Horde could overrun the entire kingdom when Angella and Glimmer had their powers drained. And they were aware of that. Adora believed she could help them better their defences before the next attack.

Swift Wind made a sharp turn at Adora’s request, soaring towards the Whispering Woods. Adora wanted to see just how much of it was still in need of mending. Swift Wind flapped his wings and took them higher, allowing Adora to see the impressive amount of work Perfuma had done. The trees were flourishing and the brilliant colours were in stark contrast to the defrosting tangle of death that spanned several klicks. If Adora kept following the damage, she’d end up at the Horde’s base- the place she once called home.

She guided Swift Wind away, hating the slight pull she felt. There was still a small part of her that missed her old squad. And Catra. The sinking feeling in her chest was like an anchor, threatening to drag her deeper into despair. She clenched her knees and Swift Wind picked up speed, the sting of the wind in Adora’s eyes distracting her from her darkening thoughts. She kneed him again, earning a displeased grunt in response. Adora had her fingers buried in his mane, her whole torso tilting back by the force of the wind. She didn’t want him to stop.

They cleared the Whispering Woods and Adora was lighter, floating. Swift Wind carried her further from the memories that had started to drown her and she could finally breathe.

Stretches of shrubbery lay ahead of them. Bright Moon was nothing more than a distant speck. There was so much empty land and yet still so much to see. Adora spotted small animals skittering about and flocks of birds joining her in the sky. They passed, screeching and unperturbed by her presence among them. They seemed to be in a hurry. 

“They’re afraid,” Swift Wind murmured. His ears perked and he changed direction, going towards whatever it was the birds were escaping. The horse was more attuned to the shifts in nature, sensing impending danger in the environment. Adora wasn’t as adept, but the further he went, the more Adora started to feel the trepidation. Something was wrong. The Whispering Woods may have made her gut clench and heart sink, but whatever this was sent a jolt through her, tingling all the way down to her fingers. That usually meant she was likely going to need her sword in hand shortly.

“There.” Swift Wind saw it before Adora did. There was a plume of smoke drifting from the hills sloping in front of the pair. The weather was growing colder.

“If that’s what I think it is, we need to continue on foot from here, Swifty,” Adora said, pointing to the rocky cliffs beneath them, some of them tipped by a small dusting of snow. Swift Wind carefully lowered them onto the rocks, keeping a close watch on the smoke that came from what appeared to be a valley between the mountains. Adora knew that valley. It was the safest route to the Kingdom of Snows. It was also the most heavily patrolled, which made it a very bad place to attempt an ambush.

Crouching down, Adora and Swift Wind crawled to the edge of the cliff, peering down the mountain to find Horde tanks rumbling along. There was also a rather large number of old model spider-bots, which emitted copious amounts of smoke. Their position was not concealed and they had poor quality robots. There weren’t even any foot soldiers. This wasn’t a team of spies and there were nowhere near enough tanks for a frontal assault on the Kingdom of Snows.

“Swifty, go alert Frosta of the Horde’s approach,” Adora said, unsheathing her sword. Bow had helped her craft a scabbard and the smooth removal of her sword was a welcomed relief. She’d been getting rope burn from her previous methods of bounding her sword to her back.

The horse hesitated, likely sensing Adora’s apprehension. Sometimes, she didn’t really enjoy the strong link Swift Wind shared with her, as it made it harder for her to reassure him. She held her sword high and lowered it as She-ra.

“I can handle this,” she said, running a hand down Swift Wind’s neck.

“This feels wrong.” He tried to argue, but She-ra nudged him, turning him away from the valley. He caved, taking off in a trot along the cliff’s edge.

When he took flight, She-ra launched off the cliff, plummeting down like a fallen ship. She crashed into the tank leading the squad, halting the advancement. She-ra plunged her hand into the metal, trying to rip the driver out. She came up empty. The tank was automated. Soldiers must have been using a different route.

She-ra leapt to the next tank, bending its gun completely in half. One of the spider-bots, coughing out huge clouds of smoke, tried to mount the tank after her, but tripped over itself. These older models were always unstable and most had been melted down for scrap. A single punch brought the robot crumbling down. Part of its head exploded and went shooting up so fast it cleared the top of the valley wall, blowing up a second time in a scatter of metal. That was a new feature.

The tanks and robots fell easily, but none lost their head to the clouds like the first one had. It was only when She-ra thought she was done that something hard slammed into her arm. She looked up and found one side of the valley was lined with more bots, each aiming a canon at her. The spider-bot hadn’t just exploded extravagantly; it had sent up a flare.

More missiles whistled down into the valley, blowing up all around She-ra. There wasn’t a lot she could do in her current position so she sheathed her sword and took a running leap at the rocky wall topped by the robots. Another missile dropped and She-ra shoved herself left, scrambling to find a grip. She had great difficulty scaling the wall and dodging missiles at the same time.

She thought she’d reached a gap between the robots, but as she pulled herself up onto the cliff edge, she was staring into another cannon. With a quick jab, the robot tumbled over and shot its missile blindly. It hit one of the other robots, which was knocked off the cliff. She-ra saw her opportunity and started to barge every robot she could. It reminded her of when she was younger and would use a bow to knock down cans propped up on a barrier.

The robots may have gotten the jump on her, but even this attack was weak. Maybe civilians would have struggled with them but any princess could’ve handled this. As She-ra kicked the final bot into the valley, she realised she was still a great distance from Frosta’s castle and Swift Wind still hadn’t returned.

No one knew she was here. Glimmer and Angella probably thought she was still circling Bright Moon. The Horde was up to something in the Kingdom of Snows and She-ra had no back-up. Going to the castle alone would be reckless.

She-ra rolled her shoulders and followed the fate of the robots she’d destroyed. Her landing left a huge crater in the centre of the valley and the snow and dust hadn’t even settled before she was sprinting down the path.

She-ra was nowhere near as fast as Swift Wind and something about her sluggish limbs reminded her of a dream. Where running was never fast enough. Even She-ra’s magic had a limit and she could feel it in that moment, when the dirt became deep snow and the rocks were replaced by spires of ice. The chill nipped at She-ra’s bare arms but it didn’t stop her. She ran through the streets, finding no citizens about, no life trickling through the square. There weren’t even guards at the castle entrance.

She-ra thought maybe using the front door was a bad idea, but every decision she had made so far was free of reason. She pushed open the heavy door and that’s when the noise hit her.

Screams. Gunfire. Clanging steel.

Horde soldiers overran the castle. Guards had been shackled and huge machines with drills fixed to their front were busy digging into ice pillars. The drills were red, ice melting and dripping from the metal. This was new tech. She-ra didn’t even know where to start.

“It’s She-ra! Get her!”

She-ra didn’t have time to fight off every soldier. She had to find Frosta. Pulling her sword free, She-ra used it to clear a path to the throne room, knocking over anyone that got in her way and deflecting any laser fire. She smashed through the doors, vaguely recalling the layout of the castle from her last visit. The throne room had a huge hole in the centre, guarded by spider-bots and soldiers. She-ra knew that’s where she had to go.

As She-ra approached, the group pressed in tighter, clumping around the hole. One of the spider-bots fully suspended itself across it, blocking She-ra from simply jumping over the circle of soldiers. They fired at her. Any hit she couldn’t shield herself from slowed her pace. By now, most would flee, but these cadets held it together.

A loud whinny echoed through the throne room. She-ra lost her focus and one of the spider-bots landed a shot, knocking her back. The whinnies grew louder and She-ra could see Swift Wind in the reflection of a pillar, his wings flapping as someone restrained him. Frosta could wait.

She-ra bolted for the adjacent room where her horse was being held captive. “Don’t worry, Swifty! I’m coming!” She-ra rounded the pillar and readied her sword.

She stopped.

Swift Wind was roped, struggling and bucking against his captor.

She-ra experienced a strange pulse, like she was reverting back to Adora. She fought against it, needing her last vestiges of energy to save her horse. And Frosta.

“Oh, hey Adora. I didn’t think you’d be joining us today.” Catra spoke casually, as if she’d run into She-ra by happenstance. “Guess I should’ve known better.”

Swift Wind snapped a rope, yanking back and aiming a hoof at Catra’s leg. She danced out of his reach, twirling the rope in such a way that it curled around his neck. She tugged. He choked, falling forward.

“Stop this,” She-ra said severely, clenching the hilt of her sword. Another pulse shook her, almost bringing her to her knees.

“Make me.” It was more of an invitation than a taunt. Catra held herself like she’d already won as she grappled with the ropes that now strangled Swift Wind.

She-ra threw her sword like a spear and severed the ropes. The weapon distracted Catra momentarily, allowing She-ra to slip behind her and restrain Catra from beneath her arms. Lithe as ever, Catra flipped back, planting her feet on She-ra’s shoulders, tearing herself free and kicking off. She pounced high, reaching out and grabbing Swift Wind, who had tried to remove himself from the fight by flying up towards the ice ceiling.

Catra, lacking any means to restrain him, extended her claws. She slashed at his wings. Swift Wind tried to flap harder, but he gradually sank to the floor, shaking his head as Catra continued to claw at his back. He slammed into the hard ice, while Catra jumped free and dug her claws into a tapestry on the wall, ripping it as she slid down. She used her momentum to launch at She-ra.

She-ra saw that Swift Wind wasn’t moving. Enraged, she stepped aside just as Catra swiped at her face and grabbed her arm, swinging her into a wall so hard it cracked.

She ran to her horse, falling to the floor and pressing her palms to his stomach. She could only just feel his shallow breaths. Tears stinging her eyes, She-ra held her sword over the horse, willing him to heal. She knew turning her back on Catra was stupid, but she didn’t care and she felt the echo of claws down her spine before Catra even touched her. She was close, her shadow over She-ra as she tried to coax something, anything, out of her sword. But she didn’t attack. She simply watched. Did she want to see She-ra fail?

The ground beneath them started to shake, rough quakes sending spikes of ice crashing down around She-ra and Catra. The castle was collapsing around them. She-ra threw her sword aside, useless, and pressed her hands into Swift Wind. “Come on,” she begged.

Ice shattered against Swift Wind’s leg and She-ra hunched over him, taking the brunt of the ice that fell from above them. She felt the tears streaming down her cheeks, cold and harsh. She wished she hadn’t left Bright Moon without a word, wished she hadn’t come out here alone. She couldn’t do any of this without her friends.

At first, She-ra thought it was the ice that was melting down her shoulder, but the pressure stayed firm. From the corner of her eye, she saw Catra standing by her; hand perched on her golden pauldron. She-ra felt helpless and foolish, and couldn’t understand why Catra wasn’t trying to stop her.

“Do you remember?” She-ra’s voice was choked by tears. Her hands were glowing, reflecting like sunlight on Swift Wind’s white fur. She stroked over his leg and along his wings, watching the feathers sprout after her hand passed.

“What?” Catra was not harsh. She allowed She-ra to heal her horse.

“When you said you’d never fly with me.”

Swift Wind’s eyes opened and he lifted his head, assisted by She-ra’s gentle hand. She stroked his muzzle, smiling at him. They rose together.

Catra was across the room now, standing in the doorway with a device in her hand. Swift Wind bowed and She-ra mounted him. Catra tossed her device into the centre of the room. Swift Wind took flight, aiming for one of the gaping holes in the still crumbling ceiling. She-ra couldn’t take her eyes off Catra. Once they cleared the hole, an explosion followed them out, spitting bits of frozen debris.  

She-ra stared at Frosta’s castle as Swift Wind carried her away. It was falling into ruin, soldiers and their prisoners evacuating. She wanted to go back, wanted to find Frosta, but if Catra hadn’t just let her escape, She-ra probably would’ve been buried under the ice with her horse.


	3. Chapter 3

_As miserable and salty as the sea_

Multiple simulation domes were scattered throughout the Horde’s main base, each one with a unique foundation that introduced the cadets to a variety of environments. The trial dome was where the latest cadets had been practicing for the last year, but now they were being upgraded to the aquatic dome. Quite a few kingdoms used water as a line of defence, so it was a vital part of their training.

Adora scanned the partially submerged dome, noting that it was marginally smaller than what she was used to. She’d done some research and discovered that this dome was fickle, as it shifted during the run of the course, mimicking the unpredictability of the ocean. Rocks, beasts, and enemy vessels could be beneath the depths, ready to incapacitate any unsuspecting soldier. Adora’s fingers drummed against her holstered staff in both anticipation and nervousness. She had grown tired of the ease with which she completed her drills, needing something more challenging. But even this might be more than she could handle.

“This looks lame,” Catra grumbled, leaning back against a railing, her face scrunched with disdain as she watched the water splash against the wall below them. Adora found it somewhat soothing, but Catra jumped with each splash of water. Her tail frizzed comically and she aggressively tried to groom it into a calmer state, to no avail.

“I think _someone_ might be a little scared,” Adora teased.

Catra pushed off the railing, puffing out her chest indignantly. “Am not!”

“Are too.”

Catra’s hand shot to Adora’s head, fisting her ponytail. In rebuttal, Adora grabbed Catra’s tail. They were still for a moment, both waiting to see who would make the first move. Catra, impatient as ever, tugged first. They each yanked and shoved, trying to get loose while simultaneously maintaining a firm grip on one another.

“Attention!”

Adora immediately untangled herself from Catra, shoving her friend into position next to her. Lonnie, Rogelio and Kyle joined them, having given the two squabbling girls some space. They learnt a long time ago that Adora was easily baited by Catra and pre-training sessions would often dissolve into some type of brawl or competition. Sometimes Lonnie joined it, but mostly she avoided them like Rogelio and Kyle. They knew how to stay out of trouble.

Shadow Weaver came before the squad, her presence dampening Adora’s exhilaration. The sight of her mentor reminded her that this was something to take seriously. This wasn’t another game to beat. The whole squad was being prepared for the unforgiving outside world. She wasn’t meant to be having fun.

“This new dome is far harder than what you’re all used to. Personally, I don’t believe most of you are ready for it.” Shadow Weaver paused, clearly glowering at Catra. “But Hordak thinks it best to advance your training and I, unfortunately, can’t argue.”

Adora felt an elbow in her ribs and heard Catra snicker, already losing interest in Shadow Weaver’s speech. Usually, Adora would jab Catra in return, knocking her back into focus. But this time, she ignored her friend, standing with her shoulders back and gaze set ahead as Shadow Weaver described some of the features of the new dome. She couldn’t deny the guilt that coiled in her chest when Catra prodded her again, this time inquisitively. To drill her point home, Adora shrugged out of Catra’s hold.

Catra didn’t touch her again.

The cadets followed Shadow Weaver’s command to step down to the starting point of the dome, lit by a string of green lights. Beyond that point, no surface was safe. Lonnie was studying the structure of the dome just like Adora had. If she really thought about it, Adora had a lot more in common with Lonnie than anyone else. She was the only other squad member that seemed as dedicated to succeeding as Adora was. Yet it was Catra who stole Adora’s attention most of the time. She was disobedient and careless, eager to be the thorn in Shadow Weaver’s side.

Adora checked to see how Catra was faring, hoping she wasn’t upset that Adora refused to engage with her during Shadow Weaver’s debriefing. Her attention had returned to the water, the puff of her tail and the rigidly of her shoulders betraying her unease. Adora didn’t often see Catra like this.

Unable to maintain her stoicism, Adora brushed Catra’s arm, feeling her twitch from the contact. “You’re gonna do great. A little water never hurt anyone.”

When Catra looked at her, something smoothed the sharp edges of fear in her eyes and her pupils expanded from near-slits to rounded diamonds. She pressed closer, urging Adora’s hand to slide from her arm to around her back. There was nothing playful and rough about this gesture. But Adora didn’t shy away from it. She didn’t know why Catra was behaving this way, but it was clear she needed comfort, not ridicule, so Adora kept quiet, aiming a warning glare at Lonnie when she noticed their position.

Lonnie, often one to run her mouth, curled her lip and shook her head, but made no remark. Rogelio and Kyle were too busy having their own conversation to notice what anyone else was doing.

Shadow Weaver had left them, likely making her way to the observation chamber. The siren signalling the beginning of the simulation wailed, breaking Adora and Catra apart. The panelling of the dome quivered and everything was bathed in blue. The sky was overhead and the squad was surrounded by the ocean. The water level rose considerably and they were now perched atop a small rock that emerged above the sea level. If Adora had time to take in the scenery, she may have admitted it was beautiful.  

Lonnie had already left the group, hopping along a small trail of rocks that led to an elevated cone of red light. A checkpoint. Some simulations weren’t based on kill counts and instead relied on speed and creativity. The checkpoints were lined in order and if one was missed, the following point wouldn’t count.

Adora scurried down the rock after Lonnie, sidestepping Rogelio on the way. He was trying to help Kyle up, who had already lost his footing. How the two remained in the Alpha squad was a mystery.

Lonnie slapped the checkpoint, the light briefly flashing green in recognition. Adora nearly slipped on one of the rocks, spinning gracelessly around. At the starting point, Catra remained, frozen.

“Come on, slowpoke!” she called, stalling just long enough to see Catra unclench her fists and leap down the full length of the rock, landing on Rogelio’s broad shoulders. She propelled off him and came at Adora, surpassing her easily and flicking her in the nose with her tail as she breezed ahead, hand finding the rounded tip of the checkpoint.

“See if you can keep up!” she said over her shoulder, laughing as Adora stopped wasting time and proceeded further along the rocks to the checkpoint. She’d never been third before, not even when she went easy on Catra. She wasn’t about to let that change.

Adora chased Catra for a while, actually gaining on her when a small portion of the course required them to wade through water. Lonnie wasn’t far ahead, struggling to scale a cliff draped in seaweed and swarming with crabots. These tiny robots served to be irritating in small numbers, but obstructive in colonies. Catra used Lonnie as a foothold as she climbed the wall with ease, smirking back at Adora as she scrabbled up the wall, swiping aside the crabots that flocked to her hands and feet, attempting to slow her down.

A small army of cabots crawled down from the lip of the cliff, coming straight for Adora. With no other idea, Adora unstrapped her staff, whipping it to its full length. She lifted it and right as the crabots were an arms-length away, she swiped all of them to her left, causing the bots to splay out and land on Lonnie. Lonnie screamed, lost her grip and slid back down to the ground.

Adora scaled the rest of the cliff, hoisting herself up to find Catra lounging in the grass.

“Took you long enough.”

The next checkpoint was only a few feet away. Adora started to run and Catra didn’t move. Only when Adora lifted her hand to slam it down on the checkpoint did it come down on top of Catra’s, who robbed the point.

“And here I thought you were afraid before,” Adora snapped.

“Of this? Please. Some rocks and puddles, that’s all this place is.” Catra waved her hand dismissively, then raised her arm, pointing a sharp finger at something far above them. “Is that all you got Shadow Weaver?!”

Lonnie just edged over the cliff when the ground shook so hard she was knocked back again, her descent punctuated by a loud curse. The blue skies gave way to a murky grey, the clouds crashing together and unleashing a whip of lightning.  

Catra’s bravado faded as the land beneath their feet crumbled. They were left on a bare island, heavy waves rising to greet them. The water brought Lonnie to them and Kyle and Rogelio finally caught up, all of them huddled together on this small patch of rock.

Adora wanted to chastise Catra for baiting their commanding officer, but before she could, the ocean parted and a gigantic form burst from the water, rising high towards the clouds. A spray of rain started to pummel the group and they all stood in petrified silence as a serpentine machine now lurked over them, its huge body coiling around the island. Its eyes flashed gold and when it opened its mouth to unleash a mechanical roar, a smudge of red glinted between two of its jagged teeth.

A checkpoint.

“You’ve gotta be kidding me!” Lonnie yelled over the bellowing thunder and grumble of the machine as it bent down, taunting them with a malicious grin, its mouth beaming crimson in the dark.

The water was still rising and it was only when it lapped at Adora’s ankles that she realised Catra was clinging to her arm, claws digging in. The machine’s huge tail was spilling over the corners of the island, curling in around them all.

Catra was the first to react, launching onto the monster’s tail.

“Let’s go!” Adora beckoned the rest of the squad, following Catra. The robot started to shake, knocking Kyle off into the water. Rogelio wasted no time in diving after him, pulling him away from the robot’s lashing fins. Possibly agitated by being ridden, the monster dove into the ocean, submerging its entire body, and when it rose, Adora was the only one left holding on. She could be the first to make it. She pulled herself up the neck, fingers finding purchase in the large divots lining the robot’s slick body.

Closer and closer she got, soon mounting the bot’s head and easing her way down its snout. She would have to swing herself down to its lower jaw to reach the checkpoint, but from her position atop the writhing machine, she could only count three cadets in the water. Catra hadn’t emerged.

Dread settled like a stone in her stomach. She stopped her advance, more concerned with sweeping the water’s surface, trying to find a pinched face and drooping ears, soggy but safe.

There was nothing but dark waves, Lonnie, Rogelio and Kyle all bobbing together a small distance away, swimming to safety. The simulation should stop if one of them was in danger. It always had.

The soldier in Adora told her to make a grab for the checkpoint. Complete the training. Come out victorious, regardless of the causalities. But Adora’s conscience said otherwise, taking control of her as she dove from the monster’s head, spearing down into the ocean.

The water was freezing and murky and Adora was blind. She searched for any sign of Catra, swimming down to what she hoped was the bottom of the dome. It shouldn’t have been this deep. She was already running out of breath, but she couldn’t stop.

The dome’s floor was an inky black and Adora hit the bottom, but didn’t. She was sucked into the floor, now suspended in a thick darkness. The pressure of the water was gone, yet she still had little mobility. She struggled, weightless, trying to break through this strange area in the dome. She lost her sense of direction, not even sure what way was up, but she kept swimming, stinging eyes making out some semblance of light beneath her. Two glimmering balls of white pulled her down to them and she reached for them, coughing out her last breath. It was so cold, yet her back was bathed in flames, burning so hotly it kept her lucid long enough to spot a blur of red in front of her. Her hand hit something solid and she latched onto it. Even though she couldn’t see, the shape of Catra was undeniable. Adora held her close and kicked off the bottom of the dome, propelling herself up as fast she could go with nothing left in her lungs but the fleeting memory of oxygen.

Bursting from the surface, Adora inhaled sharply. The sea robot was gone, the simulation over. The dome’s structure returned to normal and as the water drained away, Adora crawled onto the closest platform, bringing Catra with her.

Catra wasn’t responsive and Adora tilted her head back, pinched her nose. She leant down to offer what little breath she had to give. But Catra unleashed a cough, water bubbling up from her mouth. She sputtered, sitting up, heaving, looking around wildly.

Her eyes settled on Adora. Without falter, she flew forward, wrapping her arms around Adora and drawing in a shuttered breath.

“You’re okay,” Adora soothed, rubbing Catra’s back.

“Adora.” The voice made Adora stiffen, her hold on Catra tightening. “You were so close to getting the checkpoint. No one’s ever gotten that close on their first attempt.”

“Catra was drowning,” Adora said, unable to keep the bite out of her tone.

“I would’ve stopped the training before she was in any real danger,” Shadow Weaver insisted.

“You only stopped it when I was in the water.”

“Are you questioning my ability to keep my cadets safe?” Shadow Weaver snarled, hair whipping around in angry tendrils. Adora had over-stepped.

Adora clenched her teeth and grumbled in resignation, “No, ma’am.”

“Good. Get ready for the next drill. We’re not done here.”

Adora didn’t loosen her hold on Catra.

 

* * *

 

Consciousness came in fragments. Hands tugged and soothed. Words travelled in low murmurs, half-conversations filtering through the haze.  There was a sense of urgency in the buzz of voices, the fingers that prodded. They coaxed Adora out of the fog, brought her back from the deep well of nothingness she’d been lost to.

Still feeling the sting of ice on her cheek and the hard stare of Catra, Adora sprung up, fists curled.

“You’re awake,” Glimmer breathed in relief, setting the tray she’d been holding on Adora’s nightstand.

She was home. In her bed, buried under her mountain of blankets. “How did I get here?”

“Swift Wind brought you here after…” Glimmer paused, head lowering. “The Kingdom of Snows was taken. He told us you were nearly captured.”

The stiffness in Adora’s bones was apparent and she rolled her shoulder, wincing when a knot twinged painfully. “How long have I been out?”

“A couple days. You didn’t really have any injuries; we weren’t sure what was wrong,” Glimmer said, perching by Adora’s feet. Dark crescents curved under her eyes, like she hadn’t had a moment’s rest in days.

“It’s She-ra. Being her is… draining. It never was before.”

“You’re pushing yourself too hard, Adora.” It was an ironic observation, considering Glimmer’s rumpled and haggard state.

“I don’t have any other choice.” Adora sighed, pushing aside her blankets and sitting up.  “We need to save the Kingdom of Snows and make sure Frosta is okay.”

“Frosta is imprisoned in the Horde’s main base.” Glimmer crumbled, tears slipping down her cheeks. “The castle has been melted down and most of the kingdom is overrun with soldiers.”

“Can’t Bright Moon’s army help reclaim it?” Adora asked, desperate for even a shred of good news.

“We’re not exactly in the best position to launch an assault like that, Adora.”

Adora didn’t want to accept it, but it was true. If the kingdom widely known for its impeccable defences couldn’t hold off the Horde, Bright Moon didn’t stand a chance.

Adora, too restless to sit still, made her way to her closet and pulled out her uniform. Unable to stamp down the mounting helplessness, she asked herself as much as Glimmer, “What are we gonna do?”

“Mom says we should bunker down and wait. We have scouts watching every allied kingdom now. Whatever move the Horde makes next, we’ll be ready to lend a hand to whoever needs it.” Glimmer tried to sound confident in the plan, but her drooping shoulders and strained tone were more telling than anything; she felt defeated.

“I should be out there,” Adora said, wanting to shoulder some of Glimmer’s burden.

“Are you sure you’re…” Glimmer tried to finish her sentence with an emphatic curl of her hand. Indignation boiled low in Adora’s chest when she understood what Glimmer was implying, but she wanted to hear her say it.

“What?” Adora demanded.

“Stable.”

Adora didn’t answer, marching past Glimmer and out into the hall. She’d expected it to be empty, but instead found Bow. His arms were crossed and he looked at her with obvious concern.

“Is everything okay?”

She thought about lying, but was too exhausted for even that. “Not really.”

“Look, I know losing Frosta really sucks, but we got Glimmer back before, right? We can organise a rescue mission once we know the Horde isn’t gonna take a shot at another kingdom,” Bow said, optimistic despite the circumstances.

“They would’ve tripled their security since then and I can’t see Angella letting Glimmer ever go back there.” Adora feared that, in some small way, Angella blamed her for Glimmer’s initial kidnapping. She wasn’t willing to continue stepping on the queen’s toes.

“Since when has Angella’s word stopped Glimmer before?”

“He’s right. I’d go back if it meant saving Frosta,” Glimmer said, emerging from Adora’s room. She was less sullen now, putting on a brave face in front of Bow.

“Well, what about She-ra?” Adora couldn’t suppress the bite of bitterness in her voice.

“We’ll figure out what’s going on with her, okay? I’m sorry for what I said before.”

Adora nodded, wanting to let it go but not being able to deny the fear she felt about losing control of She-ra. She didn’t amount to much without her.

 

* * *

 

Bright Moon’s general circled the table, eyeing the hologram floating above the wooden surface. It was a highly detailed map of Etheria laid flat. Each kingdom was represented by shining blue squares; the soldiers were small blue dots. The Fright Zone was a red smear in the middle, with smaller spatters of red soiling many of the kingdoms. Adora fought back the creeping memories of inked paper and colourful messes.

The general tapped at the hologram’s controls and what was once the Kingdom of Snows melted into a gloomy scarlet.

“We have lost our greatest ally,” the general said severely. She pointed to a small cluster of red dots. “A squad of Horde soldiers have been spotted at the docks bordering Salineas. They have not attempted to board any ships as of yet. There are other sightings but I believe Hordak is purposely targeting kingdoms allied with the Rebellion.”

“And you think Salineas is next?” Angella asked.

“It could be a rouse, ma’am. They may want to lure us out to sea, just to attack Bright Moon when its soldiers are fleeting.”

“Then why didn’t they attack us first?” Adora spoke up, still unable to make sense of their strategy. This wasn’t how the Horde functioned. They would pick off smaller kingdoms, gradually building their way up.

“I can’t say. Maybe they still had inside soldiers from the ball,” the general surmised, scratching her chin.

“What I can’t understand is how they attacked without Frosta even having time to light her distress beacon,” Angella said, drifting a hand through the hologram, over Frosta’s castle, as if she could gather the answers in her palm and discover the truth behind the siege.

“They had new tech,” Adora explained, wedging her hand into the centre of Frosta’s castle, pointing at its lower level. "They used giant drills and came from below. This isn’t a tactic I’ve seen from them before.”

“They’re regrouping faster than we feared,” Angella said, distraught. She pressed her hands into the table, hunching over in a rare display of collecting herself.

She rose. “We can’t let them take anymore allies.”

 

* * *

 

Ships lined the docks, bobbing like ducks on the restless water. The ocean had been much calmer last time Adora had sailed for Salineas. Sea Hawk was a boisterous distraction, keeping her from dreading the true depth of the water beneath her feet. He wasn’t with them this time. As soon as he got word that Mermista may be the Horde’s next target, he left to help guard the gate.

Glimmer and Bow had picked up a lot from the captain, prepping their boat for the trip.

The waves were choppy and Adora stood on the deck, elbows resting on the railing of the boat. Bow was steering and Glimmer was securing some of the ropes. The harshness of the ocean reminded Adora of her aquatic training drills, where she had swallowed so much water that she tasted the chlorine with every meal. Catra had been especially miserable during those drills, avoiding deep water at any cost. Luckily, Shadow Weaver had never put them through a session quite as aggressive as the very first one. She’d eased off Catra for the duration of that particular training module.

Adora never told Catra, but since that day, she was afraid of any deep body of water. She could showboat, put on a tough act for those around her, but staying under the water too long was her bane. It wasn’t the water, exactly. It was the submersion. The pressure around her was more suffocating than the burn in her lungs. In the dark clench of the water, Adora was brought back to _that_ day, where she felt like the bottom would never be reached, and that Catra was lost to her.

“Everything okay?” Glimmer was studying her closely. “You’re kinda quiet.”

“I’m just worried about Mermista.”

“So am I. But Mom did say that the onshore Horde soldiers hadn’t left, so we may be a step ahead of them.”

“Or this is exactly what they wanted us to do.”

“It’s fine, Adora. Bright Moon can hold off long enough for us to go back if the Horde strikes there instead.”

Adora wasn’t convinced, but knew piling on anymore doubt wouldn’t help.  She kept her mouth shut and eyes forward, waiting for the hulking gate of Salineas to appear, intact and unsurpassable. The Horde presence was heavy in the Kingdom of Snows, so it surprised her that they would risk losing their footing by sending an envoy to take on Salineas. The citizens had returned once the gate was restored and their army was nothing to sneeze at. Ice may have been simple to melt, but the ocean was not so easily tamed. If she put her whole self into battle, Mermista was the princess to fear more than any other.

Salineas stood tall in the distance. There were no Horde ships docked and nothing that appeared to disrupt the harmony. The gate was as impressive and bright as Adora remembered. She felt the tension on the boat ease, the deck awash with relief. They’d made it.

The boat rocked, sending Adora into a stumble. It was unusual for the ocean to be so violent when there was no wind or storm to agitate it. A flash of the robotic sea monster assaulted Adora’s mind and she clenched her eyes shut, willing the memory to recede. Now wasn’t the time.

They approached the gate and were not met with any sort of welcome. The guards weren’t at their station and the entrance was still. According to Mermista, trade was consistent and boats were coming and going throughout most of the day. Other than the larger waves, there was no reason for Salineas to be empty.

The boat rocked again, but it wasn’t a wave that hit it. Something solid had impacted the port side. Worried that it may have caused some damage, Adora unsheathed her sword.

“Whoa, hey,” Glimmer said, stepping in front of Adora and putting her hands on the sword, preventing Adora from raising it. “Are you sure you want to use She-ra for this?”

“It won’t be for long,” Adora argued.

“It was probably just a rock. I’m not as good a captain as Sea Hawk,” Bow said, a frown etched across his face as he anchored the ship. “I’m sure you won’t need She-ra to check if there’s a breach.”

“Fine. But I’m taking the sword with me just in case.”

Bow and Glimmer nodded, accepting these terms. Adora hated not being able to rely on She-ra as readily as she had before.

With her sword snuggly returned to its scabbard, Adora hopped onto the boat’s edge. She arched her body, bringing her arms over her head and pressing her fingers together in a point. She took a deep breath and dove into the water.

The pressure around her was immediate and uncomfortable. She used to like the heaviness of water. Before the incident, it was more like a blanket. Now it was a vice. She quickly ran her hands blindly along the belly of the boat, trying to find any obstructions. She followed the curve deeper, grateful that there seemed to be no holes or chunks of wood missing.

A blur of movement stopped Adora’s inspection. She pushed away from the boat and blinked blearily.

Hundreds of luminous dots floated beneath her. Even in the dark depths of the sea, Salineas’ gate beamed a brilliant blue. It quivered every few seconds, as the dots unleashed some sort of projectile.

Adora removed her sword, swum to the surface, shouted her trigger phrase and submerged herself once more as She-ra. Her underwater vision was far superior.

The dots were clearer. They were lights fixed to the top of submarines. It was the Horde. They’d been attacking the gate this entire time. Mermista’s people were stuck amongst the submarines, trying to break the metal shells and failing miserably.

She-ra shot a beam of light from her sword, blowing up five of the submarines. She was too far away and her vision wasn’t perfect, so she wasn’t sure if Mermista was on the front line.

Bursting from the water, She-ra climbed back onto the boat.

“The Horde is here,” She-ra panted. She was ready to dive back under.

“We know.”

She-ra stopped, looking to Bow. He was staring back towards the docks and She-ra turned.

A massive fleet of Horde ships was advancing. At least twenty war vessels blackened the horizon and She-ra was at a loss. Salineas’ soldiers were busy protecting the wall beneath them. But no one was on the surface. All that stood between the fleet and the gate was She-ra, Glimmer and Bow.

At one point, She-ra would have faced the daunting amount of enemies unflinchingly. She would have known the odds were against her and charged forward anyway. Her confidence had vanished, overshadowed by crippling doubt. The ships were closing in, cannons rising like giant arms. The boat shook beneath She-ra’s feet, the battle raging on.

“They have submarines. They’re under us.”

Glimmer paled. “So what do we do?”

“We need to help up here.”

“You mean, fight all of them?” Bow asked. “Shouldn’t we get help?”

“There’s no time.”

She-ra lined up her sword, aiming at the centre ship of the fleet.

Before she attacked, a loud wail came from beside her. Ships spilled out from either side of Salineas, charging to meet the Horde’s fleet halfway. From the first ship, She-ra saw Sea Hawk and Mermista. They didn’t have nearly as many vessels, but with control over the currents, the Horde would definitely struggle to move forward.

“Bow, head for the fleet!” She-ra demanded. She wouldn’t let Mermista end up like Frosta. She would not let this kingdom be taken.

The cannon fire was deafening. Mermista’s ship cracked like thunder and crumbled under the blow of the powerful guns fitted to the Horde’s flagship. Mermista raised a wave to carry her and Seahawk to the ship beside them. She heightened the water level, trying to down the flagship. Submarines darted from within the wave. They had a pointed tip and acted as projectiles, slamming into Mermista’s ship and lancing out the other side.

She-ra had never seen Horde vessels this versatile. No blueprints she’d perused had outlined tactical submarines. She’d always kept tabs on upcoming tech, eager to test any and all of it. She would’ve remembered something like this popping up. Twice now, She-ra had been caught off guard by unfamiliar Horde tech. This could only mean they had a new expert in their ranks. And they were churning out bots and vessels unlike anything the Horde alone was capable of constructing.

Mermista’s people were dwindling. The ships were being sunk, hardly having made a dent in the Horde’s numbers. No attack had managed to even nick the flagship.

Not wanting to put Bow and Glimmer at risk, She-ra told them to fall back if things got much worse. Before they could ask what she was doing, she leapt to the closest ship and hopped between vessels, making her way to the giant Horde ship. Mermista was at the head of the fray, taking down the submarines that speared from the water.

“Give me a boost!” She-ra cried as she passed Mermista on the deck, flinging herself overboard. Mermista was quick to react, bringing a wave up to catch She-ra. The water carried her up to the midway point of the massive flagship, where she crushed metal between her fists to keep herself attached to the panelling. The soldiers crowding the deck hunched over the railing, aiming their guns at She-ra as she climbed up towards them. She waved her sword, shifting it into a shield that deflected the incoming bullets.

She-ra hoisted herself up over the railing, grabbing for the two nearest soldiers trying to jab her with their tasers. She smashed their heads together and barged her way through the rest, not interested in fighting. She took the stairs, knocking soldiers out of her way as she tried to navigate her way to the lower levels of the ship.

Luckily, the doors were labelled and She-ra found the room she’d been searching for.

The power core chamber. The core was a luminous spherical mass, encased in glass and fitted with metal dampener rods. The cores supplied any vessel with unlimited energy, but without dampeners, they were highly unstable. The bobbing ball of light cast an eerie green glow, slinking to every corner of the room that housed it. She-ra knew what she was about to do was both dumb and dangerous, so readied her shield.

She delivered a swift punch to the glass.

It shattered and the energy beamed out, physically moving She-ra back. She groped for the door, ripped it off its hinges in a panic, and left the room. The ship was already shuddering, the surge of power short-circuiting the entire system. Soon, everything would overload.

An alarm blared throughout the ship, alerting the crew of the disrupted core. No one tried to stop She-ra this time. Every soldier fled to the escape pods, some even jumping overboard. She-ra was on the top deck, long strides bringing her to the edge, where she jumped without falter.

Mermista was still holding her own on the frontline and caught She-ra in a wave, the water wrapping around her like a hand.

“Get everyone back!” She-ra shouted, “It’s gonna blow!”

Mermista signalled to her fleet and they all lifted a palm out to the sea, bringing up a towering wave that pushed them back towards Salineas’ gate, putting a vast amount of distance between them and the Horde. The Horde ships were not as fast to react; instead, soldiers came tumbling over the sides, splashing into the water, desperately trying to escape.

A loud crack preceded the explosion. A burst of green light followed. It consumed the entire front line of the fleet, likely setting off their cores as well. The snowball effect gave She-ra some hope, and she grinned at Mermista, while Sea Hawk shrieked in triumph behind them.

It was short-lived. Ships untouched by the blast advanced. They navigated through the remains of the frontline ships without pause. The soldiers still adrift in the water called, arms outstretched, but were ignored.

“Princess!” Launching from the water, a young man landed on the deck. “We need reinforcements! The subs are pushing us against the gate!”

Mermista looked like she was about to join the forces under the surface, but stopped. She-re took a moment to see what had caused Mermista to freeze. More Horde ships to the east of Salineas. The fleet before them was still overwhelming. The battle in the water was just as dismal. Mermista may have wanted to stay in the fight, but as their princess, She-ra knew what her true responsibility was.  

“Retreat!” she yelled, turning the ship around with a sweep of her arm. Sea Hawk struggled to keep the wheel aligned and floundered as it spun out of his control. The rest of Mermista’s people followed their leader. A wave shot up to guard their flee, but She-ra wasn’t ready to quit.

“They won’t get past the gate,” she said, earning a grateful nod from Mermista. Bow and Glimmer were beside Mermista’s boat, a little dishevelled, but mostly unscathed. She-re jumped between the decks and landed next to Glimmer, hand finding her friend’s head.

“Glad you’re both okay.”

“We saw the reinforcements. Holding the gate is gonna be tough,” Glimmer said.

“I won’t let them take Salineas.”

They’d defended the gate with little support before. Everyone was stronger now. They could hold. With Mermista safely on the other side, she could light her distress beacon and Angella would surely send them some backup. She-ra snubbed out the doubts creeping at the back of her mind, needing to believe she could pull this off. She had no other choice.

The gate closed. Salineas was secure. The distress beacon blasted high into the sky. She-ra readied her sword. The tip pulsed with power.

She didn’t fire.

A solid object burst from the water, slamming into She-ra’s side and knocking her down into the ocean. She dropped her sword on the platform at Glimmer’s feet.

She-ra opened her eyes once she was submerged, finding herself sprawled over the lid of a submarine. The tinted green glass was transparent and She-ra easily recognised the driver.

Catra waved, smirk tipping the corner of her lips. She-ra tried to push herself away from the glass, but small pincers emerged from the sides of the submarine, latching onto her and keeping her in place.

The air was slipping from her lungs and when she blinked, she went back to the day of her first aquatic drill. She remembered that ugly feeling, the pressure building. The tightness in her chest.

Unthinkingly, She-ra tipped her head back and then harshly swung it forward. She smashed the glass of the sub and Catra got yanked out by the intense current. She was next to She-ra, floating with her in the tight black of the sea.

She started to sink. She-ra watched her flail, moving her body in a way that did not bring her any closer to the surface.

Catra couldn’t swim.

She-ra didn’t move.

She realised that everything had changed when Catra started leading the attacks. She made the Horde stronger. She was the real threat. If She-ra did nothing, the war may end sooner.

In the recesses of her mind, She-ra could see the foggy memory of Catra floating without movement, moments from slipping away forever. The dread, the absolute anguish of the thought of losing her, was too strong. She-ra swam down in two quick strokes, snatched Catra by the arm and started kicking with all her might, pushing them both back to the surface.

Catra coughed, indicating she still had air in her lungs, but soon went limp in She-ra’s grasp.  They were a fair distance from the fight, and She-ra could only watch as the gate was breached. She could hear the screaming. Some of Salineas’ ships made it by, racing out of the Horde’s range. She couldn’t see Glimmer or Bow, only smoke and the tar grey of the Horde vessels piling into Salineas.

Catra bobbed helplessly in her arms. She couldn’t just leave her.

She-ra paddled them towards some floating debris and she placed Catra atop it. If she was spotted by a Horde soldier, they may be shot at. She wasn’t sure what to do.

Catra stirred somewhat, taking in a sharp breath. Her eyelids opened the smallest fraction and when she saw She-ra, she smiled. There was no malice, no sharp teeth taunting her. Catra lifted an arm, shaking. The soft pad of her finger met She-ra’s forehead. The slightest pressure was applied. She-ra allowed Catra to push her back and she released the debris, treading water.

Catra drifted out of reach.

 


End file.
